Anxiety and Sex: Anxiety Symptoms After Sexual Relations

                               PCAS- Post Coital Anxiety Syndrome

Time and again I’ve received this letter, email or phone call. The person is embarrassed but wants to know why this continues to occur. We felt it was time to address this issue.

PCAS or Post Coital Anxiety Syndrome is a phrase I recently coined after research and studies in the field of anxiety, nutrition and psychodietics. I basically stumbled upon this after receiving numerous calls from those experiencing anxiety reactions after the completion of the sexual act. Men and women alike were struggling with post coital adrenaline surges, and struggling with the anxiety condition as well. After interviewing numerous participants, I found the majority, who struggled with basic anxiety symptoms, indicated a surge in symptoms after sexual climax (orgasm), and this frequently occurred within a one to three hour time frame, while the individual was asleep. We also found the majority were awakened by a rush of adrenaline, stimulating not only wakefulness but sometimes intense feelings of anxiety. This post-coital response has caused many to fear sexual relations and has led to insomnia as well. This survey included both men and women, all with the identical response.

In essence, the body is experiencing another form of arousal, similar to the arousal generated by fearful thought or anger. The energy builds, reaches a climax and dissipates, leaving the individual exhausted and spent. If sleep ensues at this time, the energy remains intact and sometimes surfaces an hour or two later, as an energy or adrenaline surge, waking the individual from sleep. Frightened by the surge of adrenaline, one might sit up in bed, feel tingly in extremities, short of breath, anxious or tense. Racing heart, sweating and a dizzy feeling might accompany this surge of energy. The individual wonders what is happening, or what might happen next as they fear heart attack or even death. Adrenaline is to blame for these feelings as it stimulates this episode.

The problem, as any other anxiety problem responds well to alleviation of energy, produced by the event. If the person were to rise from the bed, walk around the house, move off the excess energy, and calmly breathe through the experience, he/she would find the uncomfortable feelings subside much sooner. Many exacerbate the fearful response by thinking, "Oh my goodness, what if I’m having a heart attack!" or "What if this feeling never stops!?!" only amplifying the symptoms by adding second fear or fear of the first fear.

Instead of fueling the adrenaline response, it is recommended one refrains from using "what if" thinking (secondary fear or fear of initial response), and instead employ movement (mild walking) as they expend the energy created by adrenaline. Anti-anxiety coping skills are also recommended to dissolve any physical symptoms caused by the adrenaline surge. Therefore, arising from bed, walking around the house, expending the energy produced by the adrenaline surge and anti-anxiety coping skills (to quiet secondary fears) will also aid in the dismissal of symptoms. The symptoms caused by adrenaline will dissipate as the energy is expended. Without "what if" thinking the additional fear will be extinguished as well. Within a half hour or sometimes less, the individual will have quelled the energy surge, and experience a sense of calm and well-being, enabling them to return to sleep.

Natural alternatives leading to viable solutions for the anxiety condition.

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